The Valdez Family
by Canon Archives
Summary: This story is a sneak peek into life in the Valdez household in New Athens. It is a series of moments throughout their daughter's childhood that are meant to give you a taste of her character. I cherish this girl more than anything, and she means the world to Leo. Please read and review!
1. Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

 **It is extremely exciting for me to be publishing this collection of moments because I have finally gotten my baby girl down on paper! I've literally been wanting to write about the Caleo child for years, but I haven't had the inspiration (or frankly, time). There are 5 next-generation kids of The Seven that have been living in my head for a long time, and now you finally get to meet one of them! I really hope you like her.**

 **I am also going to be doing a collection of moments about the two Jackson kids, so keep a look out for that story as well!**

 **Thanks!**

 **-C.A.**

 **Disclaimer: The characters you know belong to Rick Riordan, but I own the children.**


	2. New Baby

**April, 2022**

* * *

Three weeks early. _Three weeks._ This was not supposed to happen yet. No one had prepared him for this. Leo usually prided himself on his ability to take the unexpected with ease, but today he was absolutely terrified.

Machines he knew. They were logical and consistent and predictable. With machines, Leo was in full control of how they behaved and could fix any problem that might arise. But a human body? May the gods help him understand _that_. Biology was out of his realm and seemed to him like complete, irrational nonsense. How a human being could come out of another human being was beyond what he could fathom.

So here he sat in the waiting room of New Athens' Apollo Hospital, a building he helped construct, tapping his knee impatiently while the love of his life was going through surgery in order to give birth to a daughter he had only ever dreamed of having. That alone was enough to have Leo hyperventilating. He was doing everything he could to _not_ think about every possible thing that could go wrong in this situation. He was failing miserably.

Reaching into his toolbelt, Leo pulled out the pieces of metal he had been playing with earlier in an attempt to keep his hands busy. He had twisted them into several different 3D animals, though he didn't really know why. Small children on the brain, he supposed.

It seemed like a lifetime ago that Leo had been working in the shop that morning, building a remote control airplane for Jack's seventh birthday. He hadn't even told Jason and Piper he was making it because he wanted it to be a surprise. The Grace child was obsessed with flying these days (what more would you expect from a Zeus legacy), and since Uncle Leo loved spoiling his nephew with gifts, he had been waking up early to work on this project.

They had come to the hospital for a check-up, just like they had been doing for the past eight months. The doctor took one look at the x-ray and told them the baby had to come out. Now. ASAP. Next thing Leo knew Calypso was being brought into the surgery room and Leo barely had a chance to process what had happened until he was back in the lobby trying not to burn up or have a heart-attack.

That about summed it up: an overtired, flipped out mechanic unexpectedly about to become a father. _Styx._

"Leo."

He jumped to his feet at his name, only to see Piper coming into the hospital with Jason following closely behind. She had a huge smile on her face. "We came as fast as we could."

"You excited?" Jason chuckled as he came over, slapping Leo on the back. He felt like he might vomit.

"Leo, breathe," Piper said as she sat down across from him. The charmspeak allowed him to let out a long breath.

"How are you staying calm right now?" He said in exasperation. "What if something happens? I mean what if the doctors, you know, mess with the wrong organ or something? Do you have any idea how many things could go wrong right now? What if the baby gets stuck? What if, like, her titan genes make her body not work normally? Or what if - "

"Relax," Piper soothed. "The doctor's have done C-sections many times and know what they are doing. She was going to have this baby soon anyway. Its just happening a little sooner than expected."

"Too soon," Leo mumbled under his breath.

"Giving birth is totally natural," Piper continued. "Her body will be able to take it."

The charmspeak was effective at calming him, but not entirely comforting. Leo sat back down and rubbed his bloodshot eyes with his palms. "I don't like nature," he complained.

"When you meet your child you might change your mind," Jason replied.

"When I meet my child..." he murmured back, linking his fingers and leaning his elbows against his knees. Leo's lips curved upward at that thought. If he had told his 15-year-old self that at 28 he would be having a daughter with a beautiful woman that he rescued from a deserted island, he would have laughed out loud. Somewhere along the way he must have done something right, or else he was just incredibly lucky. He didn't care which, so long as his wife and child got through this safe and sound.

"Mr. Valdez."

Leo looked up to see a smiling nurse. Smiling. That was a very good sign.

"They're okay?" He stood up again. It was supposed to be a question, but it came out more like a demand because he was not going to accept any other answer.

The nurse nodded. "They are wonderful," she told him. "Come right this way."

Letting out a relieved sigh, Leo glanced at Jason and Piper who gave him encouraging looks. He shakily followed the nurse down the hallway. Adrenaline pounded loudly in his ears. As they turned a corner his gut suddenly clenched in a weird mix of nerves and excitement. He had a daughter. Holy Hephaestus, he had a _daughter._

He was on the verge of literally leaping for joy when the nurse stopped in front of a door. Leo had definitely stopped breathing as well.

There she was, sitting up in the hospital bed with a little bundle of blankets in her arms. As he entered the room she looked up at him, her tired eyes bloodshot like his and wet with tears. In that moment his heart swelled with an overwhelming combination of immense love, joy, relief, fear, and disbelief. She mirrored his emotions exactly.

"We have a baby girl," she choked, simultaneously laughing and sobbing. He had never seen her so happy.

"We have a baby girl," he echoed, his voice cracking as tears filled his eyes as well. Still shaking, Leo moved over to the side of the bed and squeezed his wife's shoulder. He looked down at the baby's face.

She was absolutely tiny. Her scrawny little face was scrunched up, red, and blochy; her eyes were closed tightly as her lips sucked reflexively in her sleep. There was nothing beautiful about her, but Leo thought she was the most perfect, most gorgeous thing he had ever seen. For someone whom at one point in his life believed he would never have a chance to experience this moment, he didn't care what the baby looked like so long as it was his. He knew Calypso felt the same way.

Leo reached over and placed two calloused fingers gently against her warm, soft cheek. He sighed in awe. "Hi Anza, baby," he said quietly. Instinctively, his fingers began tapping a familiar pattern that he had learned long ago. _I love you_ , they tapped in Morse Code. _I love you, I love you, I love you..._


	3. Learning Flowers

**May, 2024**

* * *

It was a beautiful, warm spring day and Calypso sat in the garden behind the mechanics shop they had built a few years back. As one of the first buildings in New Athens, the small city of demigods had gradually grown around it, placing the shop right in the center of town. They lived just above the shop in a 2-bedroom apartment, next door to the bookstore.

Calypso had brought some newly blooming flowers home from the local greenhouse and was spending the afternoon planting them while her 2-year-old daughter rolled around in the fertilizer. Like father, like daughter, Anza certainly was not afraid of getting her hands dirty. Calypso didn't mind; she simply made sure to always make her clothing that was easy to wash.

Today she had dressed Anza in floral leggings and a plain red shirt. It went with the red rainboots Piper had gotten her for the holidays. The toddler was very attached to them, and insisted on wearing them despite the lack of rain. Calypso had put her light-brown baby curls in small pigtails to keep the hair out of her face. The little girl had brought outside with her the little wire elephant that Leo had given her when she was born, which she named Bo-Bo. While Calypso planted flowers, Anza sang quietly to herself as she played happily in the dirt.

"No don't eat the dirt, Anza," Calypso reached for her daughter's arm, catching sight of the fertilizer being stuffed into her mouth. "Sweetie come here."

She pulled her away from the garden and began wiping her mouth with a cloth. "The dirt is flower food, not people food, honey."

"Mommy food!" Anza insisted, pressing a handful of dirt to Calypso's face.

"No, baby, Mommy doesn't eat dirt either. Only flowers eat dirt."

"Mommy fowa," she said with a smile.

Calypso laughed. "Mommy isn't a flower," she answered. "Mommy is a person, just like you."

Anza hugged her mommy around the neck. "Mommy fowa," she repeated, pressing her forehead lovingly against Calypso's forehead.

"Oh you silly girl," Calypso smiled and lifted her daughter onto her lap. "Look, these are flowers," she pointed to the ones she had planted. "See that one is called a tulip," She explained.

"Too!" Anza repeated.

"That's right," Calypso said. "And that is a lily," she pointed again.

"I-we," Anza tried.

"Yes, lily. And this is a rose." Calypso picked one she hadn't planted yet and held it up for Anza to see.

"Wose," the little girl repeated seriously, looking at the flower wide-eyed. "Pitty wose," she smiled up at Calypso. "Mommy fowa!" she exclaimed again, pointing at her mommy. Calypso kissed the top of her head and laughed again.

The moment was interrupted by the back door sliding open behind them.

"Daddy!" Anza exclaimed as Leo came out from the shop, his face stained with dark grease. The toddler leaped up from Calypso's lap and ran over to him.

"Hey mija!" He greeted her. He squatted down and gave her a hug.

"Mommy-fowa!" Anza exclaimed, pointing to Calypso.

"Mommy-flower?" Leo asked, picking up his daughter. "Is Mommy a flower?" He walked over to where Calypso was sitting in the garden.

"Mommy-fowa!" She said again.

Leo grinned at his wife. "You know what Anza? I agree with you. Mommy is a flower, isn't she?"

"I was showing her the flowers I'm planting," Calypso explained as Leo sat down and kissed her cheek. "I see you decided to appear from the dark cave. Taking a break?"

"Well it's a nice day out, and I just finished fixing that bike wheel Clarisse dropped off on Monday," Anza crawled out of his lap and collapsed back down into the dirt. "She wanted it finished by tomorrow morning and I would prefer keeping all my body parts intact."

"It's for Mia, right?" Calypso remembered. The La Rue-Rodriguez family lived on the east side of the city far from the elementary school. Their six-year-old daughter Mia and nine-year-old Amy always rode bikes to school. Clarisse wanted the wheel fixed as soon as possible so Mia wouldn't have to walk.

"It was a pretty simple fix," Leo shrugged. "The metal had just gotten bent up and had to be reshaped."

Anza waddled over to them again, the wire elephant in one dirt-covered hand while she reached out to touch Calypso's nose with the other. "Mommy-fowa," the little girl said again.

"Yep," Leo smirked mischieviously at Calypso. "Its official. _Mommy-flower_ has just been given a new nickname."

And Leo happily bothered her with it for the entire next week.


	4. Learning Wires

**June, 2026**

* * *

Leo and Calypso's Garage really was just an extra-extra large garage. The front resembled an old-fashioned blacksmith shop, with a wooden counter underneath a wide window that faced open to the street. Townies would often mill around under the overhang and chat while having drinks and stew. Just inside, Leo had a workbench and a fire-oven for molding metal so that people could watch him work through the window. The larger machines rumbled loudly in the back. At a glance it came across as a dusty, smoky hole in the wall that smelled like an odd mix of sawdust, oil, cider, and cinnamon.

To the left of the workshop was a smaller, separate window where Calypso had built her own kitchen, and served a wide variety of daytime beverages as well as her own special stew recipe. On the opposite side of the workshop window was the entrance to the store, which was connected to the blacksmithing area. The store had shelves filled with a variety of weapons, shields, and armor. There was also carpentry equipment, electronics, gardening tools, and any other practical hardware necessities for the city. Weaved tapestries covered the back wall.

So to put it simply, Leo and Calypso's Garage was a snazzy, popular, damn hot success.

It was a little before lunchtime and the bar was just starting to bustle. The smell of warm cider drifted into the workshop from the kitchen. Leo Valdez sat on his workbench tinkering with some wiring for his latest invention, the first ever monster-proof phone. It was still in its earliest stages, but it was going to be transformative for the entire demigod community. He just had to figure out the monster-proof part.

In that moment Calypso came out from the kitchen with her hands on Anza's shoulders, guiding the four-year-old as she carried a steaming mug in her hands. Leo looked up from his work and smiled. "What do we have here?"

The little girl held the drink out to him carefully with a big smile on her face. "Daddy!" She exclaimed. "Would you like some cider?"

"I sure would, kiddo," he said taking the mug. "Ooh that smells delicious," he glanced at Calypso who smiled. "Thank you."

"What do you say, Anza?" Calypso asked gently.

"Y' wewcome," she blushed shyly.

Leo took a sip of the cider. "Yum!" he emphasized. "Did you make this, mija?"

"Mommy made it," she answered more confidently. "I hewped! She says cider is fouah damikas," she added, holding out four fingers. She crossed her arms over her chest and stuck her nose dramatically in the air.

"Four dramachas?!" He exclaimed as his eyebrows shot up. "I'm not gonna pay you four dramachas you little monkey."

He poked her playfully on her tummy and she squealed.

He lifted her onto his lap and Anza immediately picked up one of the circuit boards he had been messing with. Calypso laughed.

"It looks like our kitchen lesson is over for the day," she sighed.

"She's gotta learn everything," Leo replied. "And you're a fast learner, right Anza?" he kissed his daughter's cheek.

"Bo-bo wants a friend," she said, already distracted. "Daddy Bo-bo - Bo-bo wants a friend Daddy."

"Okay baby," he answered, "we can make Bo-bo a friend, but first tell Mommy 'thank you for letting me help cook.'"

"Tanku Mommy!" she complied.

"You are very welcome, sweetheart," she leaned down giving both Anza and Leo a kiss. "Have fun working with Daddy, but don't distract him too much because otherwise he'll be late to bed again." She gave Leo an irritated look, who responded with a smug grin. Rolling her eyes, she went back into the kitchen.

Leo turned his attention back to his daughter. "Look Anza, this is called a circuit board," he told her, taking the object from her hand. "It goes inside the machine I'm making."

"Why?" She asked.

"Well, you see these different colored squares?" He pointed. "Each square holds part of the machine's memory."

"What does it rememer?" Anza asked, fascinated.

"Well, that depends on the machine," Leo answered. "It can remember whatever you want it to remember."

"Can you make rememer me?" She asked hopefully.

"Of course. But then _you_ have to remember to be nice to it, or else it will know."

"I'll bring it cider every day," Anza promised solemnly.

Leo laughed. "I'm sure the machine will like that."

Just then, eleven-year-old Jack came running into the workshop, ten-year-old Diane Stoll on his heels. "Uncle Leo! Diane broke my airplane!"

"I did not!" Diane argued. "He broke it himself."

They came over to the workbench to show Leo what had happened. "I was trying to make it do a 380 but Diane pushed me-"

"I did not push you, I was trying to show you how to use the remote!"

"I was doing just fine without your help!"

"Then why was I able to do it and you weren't?"

"You probably cheated-"

"Let me look at it," Leo interrupted. He took the plastic plane and examined the damage.

"Jack!" Anza exclaimed excitedly. She hopped off of Leo's lap and opened her arms out to him for a hug.

Jack smiled. "Hi Anza," he said, accepting the hug. "What are you up to today?"

"Daddy is making a machine rememory," she told him.

"Cool," Jack responded. "I bet you have a better idea of how that works than I do."

"Jack can we play airpwane?" She asked, jumping up and down in place.

"I would love to, but I have to get home for lunch- hey guess what, Anza!" He leaned down and put his hands on his knees. "Livy's here!"

Leo looked up when he heard that and Anza's eyes got wide.

"Are they here already?" Leo asked. The Jacksons lived in New Rome during the school year, but always came out east for the summer. They had a beach house here.

"Daddy, can I go see Livy, pweeeaaase?" Anza begged.

"It's okay if she comes over for lunch, Uncle Leo. Mom will be happy to have her. Diane is coming too."

"Yeah, Anza you can go." Leo pointed to the airplane. "It looks like the circuit just broke, Jack. I'll have that fixed easy. Bring my daughter back in an hour and I'll have it ready to go for you."

"Thanks Uncle Leo!" Jack said. "Come on Anza, let's go!"

"Go go go!" Anza exclaimed, running outside making _vrooming_ noises. Jack chased after her, Diane following right behind.


	5. Arts and Crafts

**December, 2029**

* * *

Katie Stoll ( _nee_ Gardener) was monitoring her classroom of second graders during arts and crafts time. It was right before lunch, so they were particularly energetic. They were making paper snowflakes and gifts for the holidays to give to their families. At least, that was the idea.

"Asher, please don't draw on Max's face," she stood up from her desk. "And Emily, I think that piece of paper has been tortured enough." Katie took the scissors out of the girl's hand and gave her a sheet of Santa stickers instead. The distraction was effective.

Katie looked around the room and did a quick head count to make sure everyone was still in the room. One was missing. She peaked around the corners until she found the missing student behind one of the bookshelves.

"Anza, why don't you go join the rest of your classmates?" Katie asked. The girl appeared to be creating some sort of electrical circuit with the Christmas lights.

"That's okay," she replied without looking up. "I'm busy."

"I can see that," the teacher knelt down next to her. Katie had gotten to know Anza a bit, and knew about her crafty tendencies. "What is it that you're making?"

"I'm making Tessie a holiday outfit," Anza told her, pointing to her stuffed elephant. It was wearing a bright red shirt weaved out of yarn.

"Wow, that's so pretty, Anza," Katie said, genuinely impressed. "And what are the lights for?"

"I want them to blink, so I'm fixing them," she answered like it was no big deal. "I'm attaching them to Tessie's outfit for decoration."

Katie smiled to herself and shook her head, thinking about the crafting abilities of the other students in the class. How the girl was able to come up with something like this at the age of seven was unbelievable. "I'm sure Tessie will be very excited about her new outfit," she said. "Clean up is in about five minutes, okay? So finish up soon."

"Okay," Anza agreed.

Later, when Calypso came to pick up her daughter from school, Anza excitedly showed her what she created. "Look, look!" she exclaimed, plugging the lights into the nearest socket. The lights began blinking on and off rhythmically.

"That's such a good idea, baby girl," Calypso said. "You know I think you're ready to learn some new weaving stitches. And I bet if you brought this home to Daddy he could show you more cool things you can do with the lights."

"Yeah!" The mother and daughter made their way out the door, waving goodbye to Katie. "I also want to make her a dress," Anza continued, "and a hat, and cool sunglasses..."


	6. Birthday Surprise

**Just a disclaimer, I got this idea from a Headcanon post. Thought I would flesh out the moment.**

* * *

 **September, 2031**

* * *

Nine-year-old Anza woke up just as the sun was rising, and leaped out of bed. It was her mom's birthday today, and she couldn't wait to make her a cake. The girl ran down the hallway in her elephant-print nightgown, her very long, dark hair flew behind her.

When she reached the living room, Anza found her dad standing by the doorway to the kitchen. She could hear her mom up and clinking plates. Right as she was about to open her mouth to ask Leo what he was doing, he quickly held a finger to his lips. He gestured for her to come. Confused, Anza snuck over to where he was.

"Hey, Anza," he whispered quietly. "What do you say we play a little birthday prank on Mommy this morning?"

Rubbing her hands together, Anza smiled mischievously. "Ooh yeah!" She whispered back.

"Okay, come on," Leo gestured again and she excitedly followed him downstairs to the store kitchen.

"What are we gonna do?" She asked quietly. Leo opened one of the cabinets and pulled out a giant bag of flour. He grinned at her, and Anza's eyes got wide. "Daddy, you are _evil!_ " She grinned back and leaped up and down in anticipation. "Let's go!"

They went back upstairs and hid next to the kitchen doorway. Leo put the bag of flour on the floor and opened it, a puff of flour filling the air. They lifted the bag together and Anza peeked inside the kitchen.

Her mom was sitting at the kitchen table drinking her coffee, facing away from them. Anza gave her dad a thumbs up.

As quickly and quietly as they could, they snuck the bag of flour over to where Calypso was sitting. Anza looked at her dad for the cue. When he mouthed _'now,'_ they both dumped the bag onto her head. Calypso screamed.

"Run!" Leo shouted and Anza squealed, racing to the opposite end of the kitchen while her dad ran for the pantry. Her mom, covered in flour from head to toe, stood up fuming.

"Oh, you horrible- _Ach!_ " She exclaimed, storming towards Leo who was unsuccessfully trying to fit himself into the closet. Anza laughed at the scene and ran over to protect her dad.

"Mommy, no, please- Daddy go!" She laughed, pushing him farther into the pantry, trying to squeeze herself in as well.

"It was her idea!" Leo pointed accusingly at Anza as Calypso reached for the two of them. "It was her-"

Before he could finish, Calypso grabbed both of them and pulled them into a big, floury hug. Anza giggled as her mom patted flour into her hair.

"Oh, you are both in so much _trouble_ ," she said, but she was smiling.

While Leo put on a guilty smile, Anza puckered her lip and gave her best innocent face. "You wouldn't punish us for a harmless little prank, would you Mommy?" she tried.

Calypso pointed her finger in warning. "You are very lucky it is my birthday, young lady, or I most certainly would," she said seriously.

Anza smiled angelically and gave her mom a powdery kiss on the cheek. "Happy birthday, Mommy," she said. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

She hugged Anza again. "Thank you, honey," she answered. "How about you start making it up to me by cleaning up the mess the two of you just made."

"Okay," Anza complied, grabbing a broom from the closet.

"You," she turned to Leo, "are an absolutely _awful_ influence on our daughter."

"Aw," he smiled and pulled her into a kiss. "It's like Anza said. What's the harm in a little birthday prank?"


	7. Invisible

**March, 2034**

Leo was making a tree-clipper today.

The season was just starting to change, and the Demeter children at the greenhouse had been coming in non-stop with projects for him. He particularly liked making gardening tools; he wasn't sure if that was simply because he enjoyed sharpening the edges or because he had married a very talented gardener. He was starting to think it was probably the latter.

Anza was returning home any minute from school, and he was looking forward to getting her help. She was also a fan of making knives and shovels and he liked hearing her blab about all the specific uses of each one. She had been a pleasure to work with these past couple of weeks.

She was also in the midst of her very own wood-shop project that she had come up with herself. Anza had been wanting a new desk lamp for her room, and insisted that it have elephants on it, so she took it upon herself to design it. Leo wasn't sure why the elephants were so important, but it clearly motivated her. He wasn't going to stop her.

Leo heard the jingle of the bell as the door opened, and he looked up. "Hey, kiddo," he greeted his twelve-year-old daughter cheerfully. "How was-"

"Hi," she grunted moodily as she instantly sat down at the workbench and threw on her goggles.

"Whoa, barely a hello," Leo moved his goggles to his head in concern. "What's going on, Miss Attitude? Did something happen at school?"

He got no reply as the wood-cutting machine whirred loudly. "Wanna talk about it?" He tried once the machine paused.

"No."

Leo leaned back. "No," he echoed, trying to decide how to proceed with this new behavior. This was not what he had been expecting after such an enjoyable week. Anza continued to work idly on her project, giving no sign of opening up.

"Okay here's the deal," Leo offered, placing his arm on the table. His daughter looked up. "I'm giving you," he glanced at his watch, "twenty minutes to dig your head in your work, and then you are going to walk into the kitchen and tell your mother what happened. Yeah?" He raised is eyebrows expectantly.

Anza considered the deal and then nodded, turning back to the machine.

"And then I want a better hello from you than a a sulky, pre-teen 'hi.'" He badly imitated her grunt, and then glanced up. Despite her attempt to hide it, Leo still caught sight of the involuntary smirk that appeared on her face.

Calypso sang one of her ancient enchantment spells as she stirred a batch of her stew. Although she was mortal now and her magic supposedly no longer worked, she still thought the singing made a difference.

As she wiped her hands on a towel, her daughter came into the kitchen and plopped herself down at the table. She had a frown on her face.

Usually when Anza was bothered by something, it was best not to ask. She would tell only when she was ready, and never before then. So Calypso remained silent and lowered the heat on the stove. She began washing some of the dishes in the sink.

"Mommy," Anza finally spoke, "Do you ever feel invisible?" She asked. Calypso paused and looked at her daughter. "You know," Anza continued. "Like people just walk passed without ever really seeing you?"

Calypso turned off the sink and leaned her back against the counter. She sighed, wondering what could have possibly happened for Anza to have brought this up on her own. "Yes," Calypso answered her daughter honestly. "All the time."

Anza was visibly surprised. "Really?" She asked, as Calypso went to sit next to her at the table. "But you're so beautiful, and caring, and happy! How could people _not_ look at you?"

Calypso smiled. "Well, it makes me very glad to know you think that about me," she patted her daughter's hand lovingly. "But it seems that you and your father are among the very few who do."

"How is that even possible?" She asked. "You and Daddy are the best people I know! I don't understand why everyone _doesn't_ love you guys..."

Calypso smiled. "What is this about, Anza?" She asked gently.

Anza looked down at her hands, her thin fingers tapping quickly on the table. "I just feel like I don't have any friends," she said. "I mean I _do_ ," she tried to explain. "I mean I have people who I spend time with at school and everything, but they just... I sometimes feel like if it came down to a monster attack or something, I'd be left on my own, you know?" She looked at her mother, hoping she understood.

Calypso nodded. "Yes, I do know," she said. "I know very well what it is like to be forgotten."

"I don't want to be forgotten," Anza cried, her eyes becoming teary. "I love _you_ , and I love _Daddy_ ," she choked, "but if anything happened to you guys I would just be left all on my own with _no one_..." Calypso hushed her, pulling her head against her chest. "And I try, I really _try_ to be close to people, but it's _hard_..."

"Shush," Calypso rubbed her daughter's hair and kissed her head. "Honey, you aren't alone. First of all, Daddy and I aren't going anywhere, okay?"

"But-"

"This is about the safest place on earth we can be. Nothing bad is going to happen," she promised. She pulled back from the hug to look at Anza. "And second," she said, "you are not completely friendless. There is someone in this town who cares about you, even though it doesn't feel like it. And most likely, that person is someone who you don't expect it to be."

Anza wiped her wet cheeks. "What do you mean?" she sniffled.

Calypso glanced up. Leo had appeared, peaking in the doorway to listen. "Well," she looked back at her daughter. "Maybe there is someone at school who you thought you knew, but you had actually overlooked something about them that made them different," she explained slowly. "It's possible someone else feels the same way that you do, but is just really good at hiding it."

"You think?" Anza asked.

"Absolutely," Calypso assured her. "So if you keep getting to know people, and keep being yourself, someone will come along one day and make sure you know that you are _not_ alone."

Anza rubbed her eyes again and smiled gratefully at her mother. She let out a small laugh.

"Okay?" Calypso asked, seeing that the girl had been at least somewhat comforted.

Anza nodded. "Okay," she replied.

Calypso gave her daughter another kiss on the forehead. "I have been waiting for you to get home so you can show me how that tapestry is coming along," she changed the subject. Anza's face lit up.

"I think it's coming along really well," she said, excitement returning to her voice. "Actually, I had a question about one part..." The girl quickly left the room to go find her artwork, gesturing for her mother not to go anywhere.

After Anza had disappeared, Calypso made eye contact with her husband, who was giving her a look. It was _that_ look, the one she loved more than anything in the whole world. She got up to give him a hug and closed her eyes, leaning her head against his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her waist and put his chin on her head.

They both smiled.


	8. A New Friend

**Yes, I know, I know, I'm sorry... let's all just agree that I am the worst updater on the planet! How long has it been, a year, about? Probably. But look, I can only write stuff when Anza tells me something about her! Let's just say Anza and I haven't spoken in a while...**

 **Anyway, here's a new chapter! (there's no telling how long it will be until the next one...)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the PJO world where this takes place, but Anza is MINE!**

 **Enjoy! (Oh, btw she's 13 in this one)**

* * *

 **August, 2034**

Anza meandered through the thick brush, shining her flashlight at the ground in front of her so she could see in the dark. The forest was beautiful at night; gnats buzzed around in large clumps, and every once in a while the light of a firefly would blink quietly. The consistent sound of chirping cicadas and gentle rustling of the trees filled the air. Every few steps Anza would click her tongue softly in patterns of four.

She wasn't technically supposed to be out this late. And she certainly was not supposed to be so far into the woods by herself. But as Anza's dad always said, some rules were just meant to be broken.

The girl clicked her tongue again. This was not the first time she had done this. In fact, she had been doing this the entire summer, ever since Bobby Jackson had shown her that junkyard. Anza was very grateful that he had thought to share the place with her. He had found it one time when his grandparents had taken him to their beach club. So for three months, Anza had been sneaking out of camp collecting scraps for her newest, secret project.

In the darkness, Anza suddenly heard the clunking of metal, and she turned to see Festus bounding towards her. He greeted her with an enthusiastic nudge and creaked excitedly, tilting his head to one side. A stream of oil dripped out of his ear.

"Oh no, Festus," Anza ran her hand along the metal snout. "You're leaking again." Swinging her backpack off her shoulder, she squatted down to dig through her various tools. Festus nudged his nose into her again, trying to see what was in her bag.

"No, Festus," she said to the dragon impatiently. "I'm not giving you any Tabasco sauce until later. Remember our deal?" She turned to his glowing micro-camera eyes and gave him a look. "You take me to the junkyard, and then you get dessert."

Festus groaned crankily but obeyed.

Anza pulled out a wrench and a few bolts from her backpack, and turned to examine Fetus. "You know, one of these days you're gonna leak so much oil, the Cyclops are going to use you just to fuel their forge." Holding her flashlight in her mouth, she climbed onto the dragon's back to get a better angle at the leakage point and reached over with her wrench.

The mechanical creature creaked in complaint and made a sound almost like a whimper. Anza smiled as her nimble hands worked on the damage. She took the flashlight out of her mouth and placed it in the crick of her neck. "No, of course I would never let them take you," she assured him. "You're family, Festus. Never forget that." The dragon hummed gratefully.

Anza worked a little longer in silence. When she finally finished, her hands were covered in grease. She slid off Festus' back and examined her handy-work. "Alright," she said confidently. "How's that?"

Festus tilted his head to the side again, and a little bit of oil still dripped out of his ear. Anza frowned.

"Good enough for now," she decided. Throwing her backpack over her shoulder again, she hopped back onto the dragon's back and grabbed hold of the levers. "Let's go."

Festus lifted off the ground, and they soared up through the trees into the night sky. Anza's long dark hair whipped behind her in the wind. As they flew up into the clouds, the lights of Long Island glittered below and Anza could see the entire Sound ahead of them. She smiled, steering Festus towards the coast.

They finally landed in a small lot a couple of blocks from the beach. Anza dismounted and wandered through the lot to the large pile of junk sitting on the hill. There were random old car wheels, tattered boat sails, broken kitchenware, a couch, and several scraps of metal that she didn't know what they went to. One time Anza had found a boat engine, which was exciting. It was missing several important parts, but she was able to use what she had to get the old thing working again. Anza began sifting through the junk, looking for something that might be useful.

"How about some light for us, Festus?" Anza said to her friend. Festus obeyed, and puffed a small flame into the old oil lamp they had found a few weeks ago. Anza picked up the lamp and held it out so she could see better.

"Let me know if you see anything cool, alright Buddy?" She bent down to pick up something that resembled a compass. Festus whirred and leaped into the big junk pile, rolling around like a giant puppy dog. Anza chucked and examined the object in her hand. Deciding it could come in handy, she placed it in her bag and continued searching.

She spent maybe another hour going through the pile. She found a few more bolts and washers, an old rusted circuit board, and a roll of film. She didn't know how that would really be useful, but she took it anyway. Antiques were always worth keeping. There were some ceramic plates that were broken, but they had a beautiful design along the edge so Anza put it in her bag. Her project could use some decoration.

After her backpack had been filled to the rim, Anza zipped it up and found Festus chewing on a rubber car wheel. "Not sure how that's appetizing," she laughed at the dragon. "Come on, its getting late."

The two of them left the junkyard and flew back to the forest at Camp Half-Blood. When they got back, they meandered further into the woods until they reached the small forge that Anza had built. It was made of branches and mud, and wasn't much to look at, but it worked, and the dullness allowed it to stay relatively hidden. Anza ducked under the door frame and entered the small room.

Some battery-run lights hung on the ceiling, connected by wires. A small wooden desk stood in the middle and was covered with papers and tools. In the corner was a pile of junk that she hadn't used yet, and she went over to that pile, dumping out her new items from her bag.

Now Anza turned her attention to the mechanical elephant standing next to the table. It was not life-size, but large enough for one person to ride on. She had been working on this project for months, and still was struggling to make it work. She hadn't told anyone, except Festus of course. She wanted it to be a surprise. Her mom and dad always helped her with these kinds of projects, which she did appreciate, but Anza wanted to do this one herself. She wanted it to be something that she would accomplish on her own.

Anza had based the elephant on Festus, obviously. She had helped her dad all last year to fix up Festus. They had replaced several parts of his internal structure so they would be stronger and lighter, and they finally gave him a new brain, one that wasn't so rusty.

Not to say it wasn't _a little_ rusty. Festus wouldn't be Festus if he didn't have a few kinks.

After learning a lot about mechanics from that project, Anza began to think about creating a mechanical creature of her own. She had built the elephant from scratch, and had created a solid body structure. The gears all lined up and every body part was able to move the way she wanted it to. It was the automation that was giving her trouble. For some reason, the brain just wouldn't work, no matter what she did. She felt like she had tried every possible formation of the pieces on the circuit board. There had to be something missing.

Anza took out the elephant's circuit board and grabbed the circuit board she had collected that evening. She compared them, and then began moving wires and piece around.

Suddenly, there was a loud clank in the doorway of the forge. Anza looked up to see Festus trying to poke his head into the hut that was much to small for him.

"No, Festus!" She yelled, realizing too late that she had forgotten to give him his Tabasco sauce. Before she could stop him, the metal dragon broke through the delicate mud hut and the entire front of the roof collapsed. Anza screamed and the worktable in the middle of the room tipped over. Dirt and splintered wood fell on top of her and she fell to the floor. Festus whirred and creaked loudly in distress.

Anza struggled to dig herself out of the mess. Luckily the elephant had avoided injury. She spotted the circuit boards she had been working with and moved to grab them. Before she could get to them though, Festus began making harsh coughing sounds. Anza knew exactly what that meant.

"Styx!" She rolled out of the way just as Festus let out a hot bed of flames, right where the circuit boards lay in the dirt.

Anza looked back up. "Oh, no, no, no!" she cried. The burnt circuit boards smoked and fizzed and Anza crawled over to them. "Festus what did you do?" she yelled at the dragon angrily.

Festus just creaked in confusion, and then knocked down more of the mud structure. Anza wanted to shout in frustration, but she saw something that stopped her. One of the circuit boards had begun to glow.

Anza stared wide-eyed at the object. All of the wires were suddenly buzzing with energy, and she let out a gasp. "Festus," she said again excitedly, picking it up. "What did you do?"

Anza rushed over to the elephant, which miraculously had not been harmed by the collapsing workshop. She quickly placed the circuit board into the metal structure and sent a silent prayer to her grandfather before flipping the 'on' switch.

The metal creature's micro-camera eyes began to glow, and its head tilted slightly to the side. Anza squealed in delight. "Oh my gods! Festus, I did it!"

The elephant whirred, and the motor coughed. Its glowing eyes looked at her. "Hi," Anza said to it. "I'm Anza."

It flapped its ears and then attempted a step forward. "Yeah that's it!" Anza encouraged it. She beckoned with her hand. "Come walk over here." She took a few steps back, and the elephant continued moving forward. It paused when it reached a barrier of dirt and branches.

The elephant tilted its head again, analyzing the mess. It slowly moved its trunk, wrapping it around one of the branches. It carefully moved the object to the side.

Anza was literally jumping up and down in place out of pure excitement. "Good job!" She told the elephant. The mechanical animal walked the rest of the way to Anza and she placed her hand on its head. Festus came over to inspect the new creation.

"I'm going to call you Aurelia," she told the elephant. "That means 'golden,'" she explained. The elephant tilted its head. "Well, you aren't exactly golden..." Anza admitted. "But its close enough!" She smiled happily. "Welcome to the family, Aurelia!"

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 **Please review!**


	9. School Dance

**Looks like I got two done in one day! This one is just short and fluffy. Let me know how you like it!**

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 **October, 2035**

Anza had to admit she wasn't the most social person.

She had only been a high school student for about two months, and she was already starting to feel the pressures of needing to be, well, _social_. Her school was having its first big dance of the year, and Anza had initially had no intention of going. Why should she bother? No one wanted to go with her. But of course, her mother had convinced her otherwise.

 _"Its the first dance!" Her mom had insisted. "How can you not go to Homecoming? It's a chance to meet people!"_

So of course, somehow, Anza found herself rushing off to the store to buy a fancy dress.

Now she stood in front of the mirror in her room, looking at the long gown that she was wearing. It was a deep red silk with sequences around the bust, and went down to about mid-calf. Her mom had done her hair in a loose bun, with braids in a crown shape around the back of her head. Anza had on small gold hoops to match the gold chain around her neck, which held the piece of crystal her dad had given her a few years ago. She had even put on a little mascara and lipstick. Luckily, she had convinced her mom to let her wear flats, which matched the red of her dress perfectly.

Anza heard a knock on the door and turned to see her mother with a smile on her face. "You are going to get lots of cute high school boys noticing _you_ tonight..." She said suggestively.

"Mom!" Anza scolded her.

Calypso laughed and came over to stand next to her in the mirror. "You look beautiful, sweetie."

Anza sighed. "Thanks," she said. "Are you sure it isn't too much? It's only homecoming."

"And if you get voted homecoming queen then you want to look like one!" Calypso told her.

Anza rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right," she said, but then smiled. "Thank you, Mom," she said earnestly.

"You are very welcome, baby," she kissed her on the head. "You know Daddy is going to drop to the floor when he sees you."

"When I see wh- oly Hephaestus is that my daughter?" Leo appeared in the doorway, and his eyes were bulging. "Holy Styx..."

Anza smiled widely. "Is she not gorgeous?" Calypso gestured for him to compliment her.

"Yea..." he choked. "You rival your mother."

Calypso gasped playfully and slapped the back of his head. "Don't say that about your _daughter_ , you - Leo!"

Leo grinned guiltily and laughed. "It's true," he said. "You look fantastic, Anza."

"Thanks Daddy," Anza laughed, giving him a hug.

Anza's mom handed her a purse. "Remember to be careful, tonight okay? Don't get into a car with any boy you don't know. Don't let any of them make you feel uncomfortable."

"Believe me, Mom, you don't need to worry about that tonight," Anza replied, heading to the door.

"Yeah she _does_..." Anza heard her dad mutter. She saw her mom slap the back of his head again before she left the room laughing.

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 **I guess I just had to get some good old-fashioned Leo in there... Thank for reading! Again, I always love reviews! *hint hint, wink wink***


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